Abyssus Abyssum Invocat
by Come like shadows
Summary: A conman injected with a drug that triggers severe cognitive defects. It is viral and spreads across the immensly populated Tokyo like wildfire. Is KIRA the only hope left for humanity? And what of L? COMPLETE
1. Infection Spreading the Disease

Abyssus Abyssum Invocat

Hell Calls Hell; One Misstep Leads To Another

By: Come Like Shadows

Prologue: Eric Boulder- Day 0 (Infection)

Eric Boulder perspired as he made is way past multiple check points. He was shoved roughly against a wall as the security guard checked him over. Boulders face burned as a couple smirked at him during one of the checks. What did these people expect? Would he suddenly acquire a gun between the five feet that separated the checks or something ridiculous like that? The conman made his way through a labyrinth of velvet ropes and hallways before stopping at a large door. It was dark and foreboding and towered above him in the gloom of the ill lit hallway. Boulder stared at the door with trepidation, looking around the empty hallway. He lifted the heavy knocker and let it fall back against the wood. He waited long after the echo faded into silence. The skin on the back of his neck prickled and his hair stood on end. Someone was watching him.

Finally: "Come in." The voice sounded off, maybe it was the thickness of the door or something else entirely.

The large door slid over on a motorized track that gave Boulder just enough room to slide through. He entered and the door slid closed just as quietly as it had opened. There was only one small row of LED lights fixed into the ceiling. Boulder had to squint to make out the far wall. He scuffled forward in the customary Japanese-sized slippers. Boulder hoped there were no security cameras, he didn't want to be seen with his heels hanging in the breeze. Boulder looked with his peripheral vision for any voyeurs but could see none. He started to sweat. If his informant had lied to him...

Boulder pulled his silk handkerchief out of his suit pocket and dabbed his brow and neck. He made to sit cross legged on the padded cushion provided but changed his mind mid-motion. Boulder bent at the knees and kneeled down on the mat, back straight. Boulder couldn't see how they did it. He had only been there for a few days and already he could feel the arthritis gnawing at his knees.

A hum of static attracted his attention. A large plasma TV lit up, throwing Boulders natural pale into a sickly pallor. A voice began to play, modulated with static and made up of several different voices. Both male and female. "Boulder-san." Written in Gothic font was the word: KIRA.

Boulder pulled at his collar restlessly. The back of his neck was sticky with sweat.

"What are your desired sins?"

Boulders throat double clutched in shock. Did it really just say that? Boulder calmed and tilted his face down to his his smirk. Titanism thy name is KIRA. He felt more comfortable dealing with someone who thought they were All That And More like some of his clients. "I need you to take care of someone for me. A girl."

The was no polite response.

He snapped open his valise and pulled out a sheaf of papers. They had everything on the girl. Name, Age, where she lived, medical records, it was all there. "She's the fiancée of an American FBI Agent. She used to be one herself but she quit soon after becoming engaged. She's the one that was in charge of my case in the States. I need to make an example of her. Show everyone what I'll do to them if they challenge me." Boulder couldn't believe that he had been scared before. Sure it had a creepy atmosphere but once you got into it!

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

Boulder was distracted. There was a flurry of motion he caught out of the corner of his eye. It was dark, but there was a different between Shadow Dark and someones night camouflage. His hand strayed to his watch where there was hidden a fast acting poison. Disguised as the pin it wouldn't be noticed until it was too late.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" The Voice sounded impatient. "Do you want me to kill Naomi Misora?"

Boulder stared at the word KIRA until he thought it would be burned into his retinas and every time he closed his eyes it would be there, accusing. His mind raced. How did KIRA know? He hadn't mentioned her name! Was there a camera that had seen the name on his papers when he set them down? He looked at the papers that shifted sluggishly in the wind generated by the air vents. They were face down. A background check then.

But something was nagging him in the back of his brain. What was it? The name. The name-- KIRA said it Naomi Misora. Not the traditional Japanese last name first. KIRA was Japanese.

"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT!"

"YES!- That's it!" Boulder rose from his mat. "You're not KIRA!"

"Finally." Previously unknown doors slid open flooding the room with light.

Boulder blinked and violently shoved up his sleeve, searching for the pin. He was tackled to the floor and bounced his head on the floor. Boulder managed to free an elbow and jabbed one of his attackers in the face. His arms were pulled above his head and one sleeve was ripped open. He kicked his legs and heard an _"Oof!"_ when it connected. There was a prick of a syringe on his bicep and he could feel a cold liquid enter his veins. He began to grow sleepy. It was probably some Chinese cocktail.

Damn Ninjas.

Chapter 1: Eric Boulder- Day 1 (Spreading The Disease)

Boulder woke to an extreme heat enveloping his body. He pushed back the sheets of his hotel bed-- funny how he couldn't remember coming back-- and swung his legs off the bed. He rubbed his arm, it was sore and pulsed steadily. Boulder entered the master bedroom. He stood in front of the mirror and pushed up the sleeve of his button down. He made mental note to change his clothes before he left. There was a red bump on his right bicep.

He opened the medicine cabinet and pawed through the contents of it, mindless of what fell to the ground. Boulder found a tube of Neosporin and attempted to open it, growling at his failure to do so. His hands became slick with sweat and he could feel a headache began to thunder behind his eyes. He held the tube in one hand and slammed it against the mirror repeatedly. It broke along the seam and thick white goo flowed out and down the mirror.

It distorted his face. His brows were two deep crevices in the hazardous terrain of his forehead. His frown was a narrow sea strait that no sailor would dare go. Boulders frown deepened. What was he doing? Explaining things lie he was in some Wal-Mart brand harlequin novel.

He wiped some of the goo off the mirror with his finger and applied it to the bump. Boulder left the rest for the maid service to take care of. Adrenaline surged through his system and it numbed him.

Boulder decided that changing was not worth any further annoyance and put his jacket back on. If he held his arm close to his body no one would notice the rip. He found his tie on the floor and shoved that into his pocket and pulled his valise off the desk. He had the impression that he was forgetting something. Something Important. Boulder shrugged the feeling off and shifted through the valise for the keys to his rental car. If he hurried he could probably be at Tokyo International by early afternoon.

Boulder walked down the hallway at a quick pace. He had no luggage. He pressed the call button for the elevator anxiously. The doors slid open, the only other occupant of the elevator was a blond teeny-bopper. She gave him a wink and he could feel his annoyance rise. She sidled closer.

"You're American right? Do you like Japan? Misa is Japanese, Duh, but-"

As Teeny-Bopper continued to yammer on the pain behind his eyes began to grow. It spread into his forehead and pooled there like gasoline. Boulder clenched his fists to his sides and laid his head against the cool metal of the elevator walls. Stay calm. Don't get angry. He didn't have his Biretta on him and the Yakuza wouldn't help him if he got into trouble.

"American-san? Are you okay?" She touched his shoulder lightly.

Without turning away from the wall Boulder grabbed her arm with his left and twisted it. He took his right fist and slammed it into her exposed elbow. There was a sickening pop as Teeny-Boppers forearm jumped out of socket. He released her arm and pushed her back.

Teeny-Boppers eyes grew wide and Boulder watched as he pupils turned into small pinpricks. She gasped and made small noises in the back of her throat.

Boulder took note of the floor number and looked for a security camera.

"R- Rem."

He couldn't see one but that didn't mean it wasn't there.

"Rem. Help me." She stared sightlessly at Boulder, more focused with her pain than her actual pain-giver.

Boulder pressed the emergency stop button.

She had a brief but strong moment of lucidity. "Kill him Rem! Do it! KILL HIM!"

(PAUSE)

Boulder used the maintenance door on the roof of the elevator to escape. They would call the elevator to the lobby with the police in tow. If they had any semblance of a working camera system they probably already knew what he did. He climbed up to the next set of steel doors, and with his feet locked around the ladder, forced them open. The muscles in his legs burned and there was a stinging pain in his right hand. He pulled him self out of the elevator shaft and made a quick exit to the stairs. A brief survey found them empty. There were multiple cuts across his knuckles, each were red and raw. He pulled his tie out of his pocket and looped it around his hand, tying it with his teeth.

Boulder was on the second floor. He ran down the two sets of stairs quickly. There was an emergency exit directly across from him. He grinned and exited out onto the street, amid the blare of police sirens and general chaos of Tokyo.


	2. The NewsThe Attack

Chapter 2: Channel 10- Day 2 (The News)

_"Increasing reports of acts of extreme violence in Tokyo have had residents worried. They are mainly focused on the elderly but there have been reports of others attacked. The attacks started early yesterday morning when Model Amane Misa was brutally attacked in the hotel she was staying at. Reports of these attacks are still flooding in. The Police are baffled as to what the cause may be but it has been thought that there may be a Yakuza link."_

_"In related news Boulder Eric an American Conman-"_

Chapter 2a: Yagami Sayu- Day 2 (The Attack)

Yagami Sayu was bored. Her mother had forbid her from going out after school. Light too, but he was a nerd and all he wanted to do was study. Bo-oring. But she was young! She wanted to go out and feel the breeze in her hair! Lose all her cares! ... And meet some really hot guys!

She tip toed to the door in her favorite Hello Kitty socks and peered out. She could hear the banging of pots and pans. So her mom was in the kitchen. Dad wasn't home and Light was too busy. Perrrfect. She grinned like a Cheshire cat and loped to her closet. It was small and stuffed but she managed to locate her Ass Kicking Combat Boots. She tried to ignore the mental Just In Case Sign that lit up as she tied the laces. Sayu grabbed a coat also (Just In Case) and opened the window quietly. She slipped out and ran into the warm late afternoon light.

She did basic teenager things. She ran into every store she saw even though she had no money and when men flirted with her, she flirted right back.

"Hey beautiful." The voice came from the alley to her right. Sayu looked but could only see the white flesh of a cheekbone and a few curls of dark hair. She smiled and shifted away. "What are you doing out so late?"

Sayu frowned. Was he sick? It was only six.

As if on cue the man groaned and leaned forward into the light. He had the pallor of a man who had one been rather athletic and tan, but had been forced into the shade by some grevious illness. There were dark bags under his eyes and the eyes themselves were bloodshot.

Sayu gasped and covered her mouth. She began fishing through her pockets for her phone. "I'll call an ambulance!" Tic- Tacs, a receipt, some change. She took a few unconcious steps toward the sick man. The man garbled something, but Sayu didn't hear. She found her phone and dialed quickly.

"State your name and emergency."

"I found this man. I think he's sick. I mean, he looks like total crap." The phone flew out of her hand. One of her small fragile wrists was held by The Sick Man. Only The Sick Man didn't look so sick anymore. He looked SICK.

His eyes had completely dulled over. The light was unable to penetrate their dark depths and no light shone out. The Sick Man put his face close to Sayus and she was overcome with the smell of sweat and grime. She attempted to pull away but The Sick Man pulled her closer and stuck his runny nose right into her hair. He inhaled deeply. He took his free hand and placed it on the back of her head.

Sayu could hear the woman on the other end of the phone, yelling in a tiny voice:_ "Are you okay? Answer me!" _She tried to speak, to answer the little woman on the phone but The Sick Man was gripping her hair and wrist harder and she was afraid he would make him so angry that her wrist would go _SNAP_ like a twig and her head would go splat like the eggs she used to squeeze between her fingers when she was little -- Sayu was afraid at how fast her find was spinning. What if it got too dizzy, fell, and couldn't get back up? -- And her mom would get SO angry.

Her mom.

Sayu said it quietly but it was her little mantra in the embrace of The Sick Man and maybe the chant would save her. It would be the salt she sprinkled on the demon to make it disappear. (1) " _Mom... mom... MOM... _MOM! MOM!!!"

The Sick Man didn't like these loud noises. They hurt him and he could feel the angry buzzing in his head again. He hated the BUZZ. He jerked his head from side to side, Sayu was forced to join the motion by the grip of steel he had on her. She continued her chant. The The Sick Man realized the noises where coming from her. He thought SHE was NICE but SHE made the HURT come so SHE WASN'T NICE AT ALL. With one savage motion he jerked her head to the side and bit her.

The NOISE stopped and so did the BUZZ. But The Sick Man let her go. SHE didn't taste good. In his first vaguely human motion since he knocked the phone out of Sayu Yagami's hand. Eric Boulder wiped his mouth on his sleeve and shambled away into the darkness of the alley. Licking his sore and bleeding lips.

Sayu groaned on the pavement but she had the strength to turn her head to the side and glare at The Woman In The Phone. She could feel the tears running down her face but had the strength to say: "Some help you've been."

A/N:

(1) In Japan it's believed if you throw salt on something Bad it will make it disappear.


	3. The Big Brother

Chapter 3: Light Yagami- Day 2 (The Big Brother)

Light held the phone to his head. His mother was trying to talk to him but after that initial sentence, those dreadful words. His mind went CLICK and out went the lights and all his frenzied thoughts stopped. He even forgot about this odd man sitting in front of him who said he was L. But then the lights came back on, they flickered, giving the warning of another drop into darkness. This of course was metaphorical for Lights thought processes. But now Light Was Okay, he was In Control-- or he thought he was.

Light got up slowly and bowed to L. "I'm sorry but something has come up." He left just as slowly in a daze. L followed him quietly and pushed him in the direction of his Rolls-Royce.

"You shouldn't be left alone."

Light gave him a harsh glare. "What do you think I'm going to do L?" L motioned for him to move the shouting level to a lower decibel. "My sister is hurt, in the hospital. She's my top priority right now. He sat in the Rolls-Royce like a petulant child, with a scowl on his face and crossed arms. Light was almost certain that if anything like this had ever happened to his father he'd be worried. But that would be short lived. He would sit for a few moments mouth agape, while the lights didn't even flicker, then he would regain his composer and ask quietly what had happened. Only this wasn't his father. This was His Baby Sister. He was Her Big Brother and it was his duty to find whoever did this and Kick His Ass.

He exited the Rolls before it came to a complete stop. His mind was set on going to see his sister. His mother would probably be a weepy, soggy mess but that was understandable because she was the only one there with Sayu and he was also Pretty Sure that they had been unable to reach Soichiro. Light made it up to the front desk and didn't have the complete unattatchment to his sister to smile coyly at her. "I'm looking for Yagami Sayu's room."

The nurse nodded and attacked the keyboard with her long claw-like nails. The clacking stopped and Light noticed how pale she was. "Third floor, room number 308."

Light nodded and took long strides to the elevator. L followed silently. When they entered the elevator Light cornered him. "Why did you come in with me? You could have simply waited in the car. Or even better! Left!"

L stared back with his impenetrable eyes. "Your mother is going to need someone to sit with her while you visit your sister. And please be sure to call me Ryuuzaki in front of her."

Light breathed strongly out of his nose and set about to ignore _Ryuuzaki _the best he could. The doors opened with a muted DING and Light found it quite annoying, and not all that muted. Maybe it was because it was so quiet up here that everything seemed louder. Or maybe his sweaty palms had something to do with it. Every number on the door seemed like some kind of warped little count down. Like when the Americans would count down the ball drop. Only this was counting down something else. Something that might be Bad.

Then he saw his mother and was right in predicting she was a weepy, soggy mess. He hugged her and suddenly realized he couldn't remember anytime in the recent passage of days where he had hugged her like this. Light hugged her harder to make up for it. "You didn't have to wait for me." He got up and held out a hand so he could help her up.

"Wait Light." Sachiko was trembling when she pulled him back onto the bench. "I know what Sayu must have went through was simply h- horrible." She faltered but seemed to hold against the tears. "But she's changed now. It's like-- I can't explain it. But when the doctors come in she growls but when she looks at me she make this noise in the back of her throat. Almost like a keening. She looks like a puppy wanting to be petted." She looked at Light imploringly, begging him to understand. "But I know my Sayu is a strong girl, she always was and this isn't like her!"

Light stared at her for a moment then nodded quietly and gave her another hug. "Do you want to go in with me to see her?" Sachiko shook her head. He thought so. "Okay. Ryuuzaki, will you please stay with my mother while I go see my sister." He didn't wait for any confirmation. He just picked himself up and breezed into Sayus room. Shutting the door behind him.

The room was dark but Light was glad. That would probably be better for her. The room was a single, so it wasn't like it would bother anyone. The sheet was drawn around the bed and he could just make out the profile of her body laying on the bed. He took another step forward and Sayu suddenly sat up. Light stilled unexpectedly. He could feel the fine hairs on the back of his neck rise with the intensity of the gaze he couldn't see but knew it was there. "Sayu."

There was a low sound and Light realized with a slowly dawning horror that his mother was right it did sound like a growl. Light eliminated the space between him and the curtain and savagely flung it open. A weight was immediately thrown into his arms. Growling.

But then It stilled. And Light heard a noise that sounded almost like a long, drawn out sniff. Then It pullled back. It was Sayu. Her eyes were dull and her hair in knotted snarls. He sat down on the bed next to Sayu and let her climb into his lap. Her mother might not have realized what had happened but he did. His sister had employed a safety mechanism to keep herself from becoming Broken with the knowledge of what had happened. She had regressed to the point of infancy. Light ran his fingers through her hair and made a note to himself to bring a comb with him the next time her came. But The Realist nagged him in the back of his mind that maybe Something Was Wrong with Sayu. Maybe Sachiko had been right. The Brother Light told The Realist to Shut The Fuck Up.

Sayu took her head off of Light's shoulder and stared in the general direction of the door. There was that low growling noise in the back of her throat again. Light could hear something beyond the door. The screech of wheels on the hospital tile.

"What's wrong Sayu?" She didn't look away from the door. "What is it." See, this isn't some stupid psycho-mumbojumbo and even thought your Subconscious won't give your Conscious a swift kick to the rear I will. The Voice said contemptuously. The way you talk to her, is the way you talk to your Dog. You know this she hasn't regressed. Something has happened to her and it's made her primal! You know it! Don't deny it!

There was a brief knock on the door. It opened and a doctor with a friendly face smiled at them. "You must be Sayus brother correct?" The doctor walked closer and Sayus growling got louder. The doctor stopped and looked nervous. "S-Sayu-kun maybeyou should sit back down next to your brother. O-okay."

Sayu could smell the Fear coming off him. She could tell by other smells, something that burned her nose and made it itch, that he had been one of the ones that held her down and helped the She-Bitch make her Hurt. Sayu had bled from little holes made in her inner arm. She didn't like The Mean Man. In a single blink of Light Sayuwas standing in front of the doctor, then she had him on the ground and was slamming his head down onto the white tile.

Light got up and tried to stop her, calling for help. But he couldn't and the tile turned darker and darker shades of red. But as the large female orderly injected the tranquilizer into Sayus arm, Sayu stopped. She let the doctors head fall slip from her hands and turned into Lights embrace. Who had been sitting on the floor trying to pull her off the poor man. She laid her head on his shoulder and clutched his lapels with her bloody hands.

The Brother Light said fondly to The Realist: "Like Brother, like Sister."


	4. The Spread

Chapter 4: Light Yagami- Day 4 (The Spread)

It was a full twenty-four hours after Sayu had attacked the doctor and been tranquillized. Sachiko had gone home.

_Light walked out of Sayus room slowly, the head of a morbid procession of death. __The doctor was carried out between two orderlies and Light didn't bother to respond to the grim looks they gave him. There was no doubt in his mind that they would have a court case over this and if they judged Sayu sane enough to be aware of her actions-- She would be Put To DEATH. _

_"Light... what's happened? D-Did the doctor have heart attack?" Sachiko wouldn't look him in the eye. Her eyes followed the orderlies procession down the hallway. _

_"...No mom. It wasn't that." The Big Brother Light had to say something, something good that would convince Sachiko that Sayu Was A Good Girl even though she had done some Bad Things. "She was scared mom. She didn't know how to respond to him. He was scared of her, if he had any idea of how she might have acted towards him they should have given her a tranquilizer long before hand. It wasn't--"_

_"Don't you dare say it wasn't her fault." Sachiko glared at him and her usually was tough. Full of hard planes and angles. "She might not be all that there Light, but __she can still tell the difference between murder and self-protection! She _killed _a man, Light." _

_Light fired back. "How do you know that? Did you go in to see her at all? You probably didn't. You just waited for me to go in so you wouldn't have to be sorry for her and be able to get sleep at night." From the look in her eyes he knew it was true. His mother couldn't register that Sayu might never be herself ever again._

_"She scares me."_

_Light didn't have a retort. He sat down on the bench and stared at the police men stationed at either side of his sisters door. He kept staring even when he heard his mothers foot steps as she walked away. Ryuuzaki sat on the other end of the bench in his usual curled position. "You don't have to stay here with me Ryuuzaki. I can sit by myself." Ryuuzaki gave him a long lingering look and nodded._

_"I take it you won't be at school tomorrow?" 98.9 percent._

_"I don't think so." Then Ryuuzaki left too and all he could do was think._

But even that wasn't possible for him with all his conflicting emotions and the arguments of The Big Brother and The Realist. So he made a small trip down to the hospital gift shop and bought some NyQuil. Light tried to guesstimate how much he should take and decided about half the bottle was a fair dosage. The bottle was hidden away under the bench and his coat was shoved under his head for a pillow. With everything in order he shut his eyes and fell asleep.

They were quiet sounds. The shift of fabric and the padding of bare feet on the tile but with the NyQuil already lagging they were sufficient in waking Light up. He blinkedand rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. The police men were gone from across the hall. It was very quiet for a hospital. Light looked around the dark hallway and quickly entered the hospital room. Even though he didn't want to get caught he left the door open. If Sayu got angry at him for some reason and he couldn't get to the door fast enough--

The metaphorical lights went off again. When they came back on Light cursed and ran out of the room. Sayu was gone but that didn't mean she could have been gone for long. If that had been the case the place would be crazy like a Defcon4 siren just went off. He slowed and looked in each room as he passed by. When he didn't see her he ran to the next hallway. A soft noise. Barely louder than a brush of wind. But he heard it and ran in its direction. There -- at the end of the hallway. The stair door swung slowly shut. Light reached it and pulled it open. He looked in the square window that the overlapping staircases created and could see small flashes of color. Green and blue. The colors of the hospital gown Sayu wore.

"Sayu." Light hissed. It wasn't loud but it carried up the tall room and reached Sayu. She stopped and looked down. She assembled her lips into an Almost Smile and started moving again. "Sayu! Wait!" He started running after her. There were only two flights of stairs to till they hit the roof and he didn't want Sayu to be up there by herself. If she wanted to end it-- Light told himself to shut up and kept running. He came to the door. Sayu was already on the roof but if he was quick--

There was someone else on the roof. Sayu was walking slowly towards it. "Sayu, stop." She was in an odd half-crouch like she was expecting the other to do something. She came closer to touch the other, who was clothed in green and blue like her and stopped. A low rumbling sound vibrated through the air. Light took a step back. It made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. "Sayu, leave it alone. Come on." He held out his hand. "I'll get you pudding."

The other jumped. Sayu skidded back and clawed at the hand on her neck. More growling. Louder. Sayu twisted her hand in the others hair and pulled. The other came off of her with a shriek. Light looked for something to tear them apart with. He looked behind the giant funnel-like thing that as sitting on the roof and found a fire extinguisher. That'll work.

He pulled out the locking pin and stood as close to the fighting two as he could. When he say the others face he squeezed the handle and sprayed the white foam into its face. Sayu scrambled away from it and stood in her half-crouch behind Light. The other got up and Light could see for the first time that it was a woman. He held out the fire extinguisher as a barrier. "Don't come near us." She tilted her head to the side in a quick motion. Almost bird-like. She came closer. Light swung the fire extinguisher. It missed her by a few inches but she stepped back. Light walked backwards into Sayu, he pushed her into the direction of the door. "Go." Sayu complied and walked back into the hospital. Light kept his eyes on the still other. It made no facial expression and only stood there staring at him.

Light turned his back on her and followed Sayu. He slammed the door at just the right moment. Catching the Others hand in the door as she reached for him. Light didn't stop. He reopened the door and grabbed the Others wrist. He pulled her closer and slammed the door shut again. He repeated the motion until he got up to the neck. The Other was trying to get away, pulling against his hand. Light pulled the door shut with violent force and the Other stopped moving. He let the door glide open again and the Others head slid out of the opening.

Then Light shut the door for good. Sayu crawled out of her corner and sat next to Lights leg. He sat down next to her. Light looked down at his hand and stared at the stains. It was blood , surely. But it was so dark up there, at the top of the stairs. Light looked up and found the light panel, but it wasn't on. Light frowned. He got up and leaned over the railing. The lights were off all the way to the lobby. When in a hospital were all the lights off?

The Big Brother and The Realist didn't have an answer. But the city did. Light's body stopped pumping adrenaline into his system and he lost his selective hearing. He could hear the police sirens and the boom of an explosive. Sayu jumped and hid under Lights arm at the louder explosions. But he could see no fear in her face and dark eyes.

"What do we do Sayu?" There was an unnamed fear welling inside him. But the more Light examined it he found he could name it. It was the fear of the unknown. Should he go down there and examine what the noise was? But what if he was stopped? What if the lights were only dysfunctional and there wasn't a whole police force down there like he was dreading.What should he do? Light grabbed Sayu by the hand and slowly led her down the stairs.

The roof was a good of the city. The tall buildings inabled any from seeing beyond the block, but it was enough. The streets were in chaos. Cars were exploding from stray bullets that were unlucky enough to hit the gas tanks. The People were fighting against The Sick Ones.

And The Sick Ones were winning.


	5. A Demon

Chapter 3: L Lawliet- Day 3 (A Demon)

As Lawliet made his way out of the labyrinth of a hospital he could thinks the thoughts that had barred themselves to Light. There had been fourteen separate cases of assault in this very hospital alone. All of them had the same characteristics as Yagami Sayus. A bite mark caused by someone the victim thought was sick or injured. Most of them had been under 5 ft 6 in. None were particularly athletic-- Lawliet knew he had the KIRA case to solve. But when an interesting case presented itself he simply couldn't control himself.

He HAD to solve it.

A hand grabbed him by the wrist and stopped his thoughtful calculations. Lawliet examined the man who grabbed him. The dark hair and pale skin. There were dark rings under his eyes too and Lawliet thought he looked quite familiar. The man was trying to say something his mouth worked uselessly as no sound came out. Lawliet tilted his head closer. "Yes?" The man exhaled and the breath that brushed Lawliets ear carried faint vestiges of sound. It was a gravely sound. Almost animalistic. Lawliet leaned back just as an orderly rounded the corner.

"Oh! You don't want to get near that one!" The orderly was a large burly African American man. He pushed up his sleeve and showed Lawliet a bandage wrapped around his forearm. "He bites."

Lawliet nodded in an disjointed way. And as he left he could hear the orderly say to the man: "You're bleeding again. Is something wrong with your mouth?" Lawliet turned to see the him wipe the mans mouth with a corner of the blanket that covered him. Lawliet turned back and made it Rolls-Royce without any further interruptions. Watari played chauffer and drove him back to the hotel of this week.

The blood was something important. Lawliet didn't know how he may have figured this without the sufficient information, but it was. He also wondered if the orderly had the presence of mind to clean out the wound on his arm well, knowing his patient bled from the mouth. Probably not. There was an unexpected jolt and Lawliet watched with wider eyes as the motorcycle that struck them careened to the side.

The rider got off his bike jerkily and Lawliets first impression was that he was drunk. But that was thrown to the wind as the rider calmly walked over to the passenger window and punched through the glass.

"Get out of the car!" It was Watari. He had his gun out and was aiming at the Rider and he really needed to move but his legs just wouldn't listen-- "GO!" The car door flew open with the force of Lawliets fleeing person. He ran across the street to the shopettes where he could stay and call the police. He chose the closest one and burst thought the door. "I need to use your phone!" The shop was brightly light and the ambient music was still playing but no one was in sight. "Hello?" The lack of response gave him time to calm himself and start thinking like L again. There was no one home but the lights were on what could that mean?

The Great Detective L thought that it could mean the employees and patrons of this fine establishment, for it sold cakes of all kinds, had exited in favor to watch more interesting things. Like a Rolls- Royce getting hit by a motorcycle. But Lawliet hadn't seen any roadside gawkers as he ran from the car. Lawliet blinked and looked at the glass fronts of the display cases. Cake would help him think. Lawliet slid over the counter in favor of walking around. He had many choices and they had what he liked but what was that blue fluffy thing that sat beneath the Almond Paste Cake? He knelt down for a better view.

The door swung open and slid shut without rousing Lawliets attention. Booted feet trampled napkins and cheap silverware without mercy. The hands jerked and twisted with impossible dexterity. Bones ground together and tendons ached but the face showed no expression of pain.

The Sick Husband did not like this small man coming into his TERRITORY. He had FOUGHT The Sick Wife for it, BLED for it and won. The Sick Husband walked to the counter and bent stiffly at the waist, he swung his hand side to side in an attempt to grab Lawliet but couldn't reach. The Sick Husband wanted to grab this little man, make him HURT. The BLOOD would make the BUZZ stop like it did for all the others. He could feel it welling up behind his eyes. The Sick Husband leaned farther--

Lawliet gasped at the sudden burn in his scalp. He was pulled up by his hair into a standing position. The Sick Husband tried to pull him closer but Lawliet wedged his feet into the small space underneath the counter and the floor. He scratched at the hand that held him with one hand while his other groped the counter top for a weapon. The Sick Husband pulled him closer and he could make out his features dimly through his curtain of hair.

The Sick Husband was missing his nose, it had either been tore off or eaten off. The pallid landscape of his face was wracked with cuts and bruising.

Lawliets hand closed around something and he brought it to The Sick Husband as hard as he could. It hit him just beneath his right eye. Lawliet watched in slow motion how the eyeball flew into the air with the force of the battering but succumbed to its anchor in the brain and hung from the empty eye socket. The Sick Husband reeled backwards from the force of the blow. Lawliet ran along the wall to the kitchen door. He cast one look back at the front door from which he entered but The Sick Husband blocked the way.

He would have to go through the back. Lawliet pushed open the white double doors and locked them behind him. He cast a fearful eye around the kitchen. There were three tables situated with the shortest ends facing him. The ovens were situated along the side walls. Lawliet ran down one of the aisles formed by the tables -- He tripped and hit whatever had grabbed him with the weapon he still clutched in his hand. As he watched its motion of descent he realized it was a wooden roller. It reminded him of one of those old American comedies where whenever the women got men they would hit the men over the head with their rollers. Funny stuff, especially that one woman, Lucy.

"Stop! I'm not Sick! Stop!"

Lawliet stopped hitting the young woman with the roller and clutched it to his chest like a teddy bear. "Who are you?" His thumb made its usual destination to his mouth but he stopped when he realized it was covered in blood. Ew. He wiped it on the girls white apron.

"Yoko. Do you know what's going on? With the sick people and the biting." She grabbed her shoulder when she said this. Lawliet stared. There was some blood on her collar and an odd bulge in the shoulder region. So she had been bitten.

"You got bit." Lawliets instincts were screaming at him to leave to leave this girl and book it out the door that was wedged between two large stoves that he could see perfectly from his position. He edged away from Yoko slightly. She noticed.

"Don't leave me!" She grabbed onto his not so pristine white shirt and grubbed it up with her bloody fingers. "I'm hurt! You have to help me! Nyugen was going to help me but he... he left!"

"He left because he saw you get bitten didn't he." Lawliets dark eyes bored into her light brown ones. "Why did he leave. Didn't he want to be there for you?" When you finally succumbed to your wounds.

Yoko's eyes were determined to land any place other than Lawliet. "No..." She bi t her lip than suddenly jumped forward until their noses were almost touching. "There were some people writing about The Sick Ones. Nothing official though just forums and blogs and stuff. Most of it was crap, end of the world stuff but a few... They figured it out. It only took them two days but they realized it."

"What was it?"

"When The Sick People bit you... you turned into one of them. It took a while and they said it only worked in certain cases but..." She started to cry. And the force of her breakdown made her ugly. "I DON'T WANT TO BE A DEMON!" The Sick Husband beat on the door in response.

Lawliet got up. "Come on. We have to leave. It'll get in soon." Yoko jumped up and grabbed onto his white shirt. Lawliets skin crawled with their contact. It was stupid, what those blogs and forums said-- But didn't everything have at least one grain of truth?! He lead Yoko to the wedged door and let her exit first. It was a cowardly move, but he would willingly sacrifice the life of a woman he didn't know for his own. Lawliet stopped walking toward the mouth of the alleyway. Did he really think that? That wasn't the truth. Certainly not but... wasn't he a realist? Was that his reality? This new era's reality?

Yoko walked past him and peered out the alleyway. "Dear KIRA."


	6. The Battle

Chapter 5a: L Lawliet- Day 3 (The Battle)

"Don't say that!" Lawliet hissed at her as he too peered out the alley way. It wasn't a war zone. Not yet. There were cars pushed into a half-circle to form a crude sort of barricade. They were all civilians, Lawliet could see no blue and black among them. The pack of the Sick were slowly walking towards the barricade, their intent clear by their bloody hands.

How did this happen so fast? Was it a blitzkrieg thought up by some previously unknown political superpower? There was some possibility that it had a viral origin. The Black Plague had overrun Europe within three years decimating its population. It was possible that if the virus took little to no time to be activated that Tokyo could be overrun within a month. But was it possible? A virus that could cause such effects?

"Hey!" Someone was yelling at them. It was a businessman, former, Lawliet thought he would add if asked. He was covered in blood to his elbows and his glasses were askew. "Do you know how to shoot a gun?" Lawliet shook his head, Yoko nodded hers. She walked over to the man who was still kneeling behind an overturned table. He gave her a shotgun and a small box of shells. "Make them count." He told her with severity.

"I don't think Duck Hunt counts as real arms experience." Lawliet told her as she came back.

"And I think I want to help any way I can. You should too." She was talking back at him. Such sass. That meant she was regaining her former personality.

Too bad Lawliet didn't feel rather sympathetic. "Until you shoot yourself in the head. You don't really want to help. You just want to kill yourself in a quick, easy way. With the bonus of some glory."

Yoko growled at him and Lawliet took a step back. Shit. If she turns-- If she even can-- "So? Is there something wrong with that!"

Lawliet shook his head. "No there isn't. And I think that's what most of these people are after." The general group theme was tired. There was the occasional Angry Teen With A Gun but it wasn't much. That lead him to notice the lack of sidewalk pedestrians. The streets had been filled when he took Light to the hospital.

The Pack stopped at the beginning of the block and stood there. They formed a half circle that mirrored their own. They spread themselves across most of the road and in result, there were large gaps between them. The Humans watched this unfold with wide eyes. Yoko asked Lawliet: "What does it mean?"

Lawliet tilted his head to the side and observed them. The Sick Man in the center snapped at The Sick Boy when he got too close. The Sick Boy hung back for a moment but came even closer than he had before. The Sick Man flung himself at The Sick Boy and started attacking him. The wails of The Sick Boy drifted over to The Huddled and Lawliet nodded. "It's pack behavior. On a very basic scale though. They only travel together to boost the chances of finding a meal." There was a loud CRACK as The Sick Man snapped The Sick Boys neck. "Little to no affection for each other though."

The Angry Teen glared at him from under the brim of his baseball hat. "That's just sick dude." Lawliet stared at him with his large eyes.

"It's the truth."

(PAUSE)

Helios was traveling swiftly in his golden carriage towards the horizon. Lawliet always liked mythology. The Huddled had took a few potshots at The Pack, as they were now referred but even when contact was made. They did not move. Yoko stared at the three newly fallen bodies. "What's wrong with them? Are they suicidal?" She winced at her choice of words.

"No." The Angry Teen said with laughter. "They're just stupid."

Lawliet shook his head and continued scribbling notes on Yokos abandoned apron.

_Group behavior: Pack-like, but deteriorating. More have been killed by the Sick Man or others. A few have abandoned the group. Shows they cannot stay focused for any long amount of time/ cannot work together for any long amount of time. A few simply drop and do not get back up. From original umber of fifteen they are down to eight. 86.7 percent chance trend will continue._

He capped the Sharpie marker and tucked it in his pocket. Lawliet folded the apron into a narrow strip and tied the end into a loop. He looped the strip around his waist and tied it there with the apron strings going through the loop and making a bow. It looked stupid, but at least he had someplace to put the roller. Lawliet looked up at the sky. It was getting dark and he didn't feel like fighting a war at night. He really didn't feel like fighting a war at all-- It was so much easier when he was just a letter on a computer screen.

"That's fucking it!" The Angry Teen finally burst out after they had been waiting for over three hours. It was fully dark now and the street lights did little to lift the groups despairing mood. He got up and walked around the cars that littered the street behind them. Away from The Huddled and The Sick. "I'm not sitting here any longer!"

A noise trapped itself in Lawliets ear. It was a metal banging sound, like some one slamming a door closed over and over. He looked towards the source of the noise and saw the hospital he had dropped Light off at. Had he really wasted a day making a single circuit around the block? His stomach growled. His mind hadn't touched the possibility that Watari may be dead so he tried not to thick about what food Watari had in the car for him. Tried.

The Angry Teen was calling them. "Guys... guys!" They all twisted around to see what The Angry Teen was yelling about. They simultaneously swore. There was another pack closing in on them from the back. They were between Scylla and Charybdis. All heads turned to Lawliet. What would they do?

"Aim for the heads, split up. Half facing the front half facing the back. Deal with the ones closest to you. Not any others. You need to kill them before they get too close. Okay?" The Huddled split and too their appointed posts. He asked a woman with a large blond beehive and a purse large enough to smuggle multiple alarm clocks. "Do you have anything flammable on your person?"

She smiled and opened her bag.

(PAUSE)

Lawliet took her hairspray and three of her lighters to establish his own post. He faced The Back Pack, his sugar side giggled and then growled because he hadn't had any sugar in over five hours. He wished he had the time to go through the cars and siphon gas but what would he have held it in? Lawliet also wished he had more time to sit and think but The Pack was closer now.

The guns roared and he was struck temporarily deaf. Through the muffled silence he made out The Sick falling, some for good, others getting back up for more. A Sick slipped through the barrage of bullets and came closer to The Back Huddled who had no wall of cars to protect them. Lawliet picked up a large piece of sidewalk stone and hurled it at The Sick Woman. It hit her and the street light illuminated each ruby droplet in their kamikaze drop to the ground. Red Rain. Some thing caught him in the side of the head, it felt like he'd been kicked. His eyes tunneled. Lawliet blinked and the black retreated. His mind felt fuzzy --

Some one yelled. Lawliet turned. Mrs. Beehive. The Sick Man, thought previously to still be locked in the kitchen of the bakery, had her by the neck. Lawliet scrambled down the line. Why wasn't anyone helping her? He pulled his roller out of his belt and bludgeoned The Sick Man on the side of the head. He kept hitting him and found a twisted sense of comfort in the noise he made. Blood splashed him in the face, it was warm much warmer than he could have imagined. Eventually The Sick Man stopped moving, he climbed over him and kneeled next to Mrs. Beehive.

She was half on the sidewalk half off. Her hair was ripped off in large chunks and in his little void of calm while battle raged he couldn't help but try to fix it. It came off completely. Lawliet held the wig in one hand and the still, dead face of Mrs. Beehive. She had rather strong features, a low brow, large hands. It was only out of politeness that he continued to refer to Her and MRS. Beehive. She clutched her large bag in one hand. Lawliet stared--

And whipped around to set fire to the dumb Sick who thought he could sneak up on him. He flicked the lighter on and depressed the nozzle. Fire leapt out like a regal dragon from his hands. The Sick Torch yelled and pin wheeled his arms but he wouldn't go out. The fire had already spread to his chest. There were yells from The Huddled for more bullets.

A car exploded. The Angry Teen yelled and held his gun above his head, jubilant. The explosion wiped the remaining of The Front Pack. But more were coming to take their place. They had gotten too close in the back. Their shots were going wild in fear and some had ran. They were soon caught though. They were completely encircled. Lawliet threw respect for the dead to the wind and began to raid Mrs. Beehives purse. There were multiple perfume bottles. He ripped some fabric off of Mrs. Beehives skirt and unscrewed the caps of the bottles. His hand were shaking and the perfume was going everywhere and he better fucking buck up or this wouldn't work and he'd be some stupid midnight snack-- The were yells but he didn't listen. He was too busy with his job too busy while the rest of The Huddled were being picked off and dragged away.

The cloth was in the first bottle. He lit the cloth, waited for it to climb lower and tossed it. More set on fire. The light was good for him to aim by but the night was so dark in some places that he couldn't see, "Any one have a light?" Annoyed by the lack of response, he looked up the line.

No one was there. He turned and looked behind him. No one there either. There were great puddles of blood where The Huddled had been injured then dragged to The Dark. He saw a flash of white, bright in the darkness. It was one of The Huddled, it ran into an alley way. Away from the fight. When had The Sick gotten so close? Had he black out? Then he remembered. The Red Rain. What had happened then? He felt the side of his head. They came back wet. Lawliet got up and made an uneven run back into the alley way he had came from. When he found that he followed the over turned boxes to the Kitchen Door.

With a final look at the fire he had set and failed to harness he went inside.

A/N:

This chapter is supposed to feel disjointed. Lawliet isn't a military leader, but he lead a small group of civilians to wage battle against an enemy he was extremely out numbered against with limited to no ammo. And there's that mysterious tunnel-vision/ blackout to deal with.


	7. Merciful Death

Chapter 6: Light Yagami- Day 4 (Merciful Death)

They had only made it back to Sayus hospital room. There was no brigade of armed police men waiting for them at the base of the stairs like Light had feared. What waited there for them was much worse. It was the moans and screams of the uninfected sick. Those who had been to weak to run like the doctors had not even a day ago.

Light shut the door against the noises but that helped little. Light sighed and fingered the small TV remote. Was it worth it? Watching the news when he already knew what ill it would tell. He braced himself and pressed ON.

_"...multiple deaths in what could be the biggest blood bath in modern history. All violence seems to take place in Central Tokyo but there have already been reports in the Tama district. Deaths have already been totaled well into the hundreds and as a result Interpol has voted on sectioning Tokyo off into East and West to stop the flow of violence. Eastern Tokyo will be completely closed in via barricades and armed forces will be sent in to arrest those under suspicion of having killed. Those innocent can begin migration to Western Tokyo and enter a sanitation process before entering. To those of Tokyo, Good Luck. Sakura TV." _

Light blinked. They had to be kidding. Admitting that much on a local television station! Sectioning off Tokyo with a barricade and telling everyone to march west. That would cause total chaos-- They mentioned a sanitation process. Sanitation usually applied to something that could be caught. Like a virus. If this was some simple Yakuza organized killing spree what would a "Sanitation Process" be used for? He nodded and looked at Sayu out of the corner of his eye. "So it is a Virus."

He got up and walked slowly towards the door. Light held up a hand to halt Sayu as she made to follow him. "You need to wait here." She made a low keening noise in the back of her throat and gave him The Sad Eyes. "I'll come back soon. Do you want me to go get you something to eat?" Sayu tilted her head to the side. "Do you want food?" He lead her back to the bed and put on a children's show. "Sit here and watch this." He tucked her in like he always did when they were Little and Dad wasn't home.

Light patted her on the head silently and Sayus dark eyes followed him as he left. He stared to make a mental list of what he needed. A computer. The hospital had Wi-Fi so it didn't matter if it was a laptop or not. Food. Non-perishables, water. A backpack to put it all in. A weapon. He swung his fire extinguisher slowly as he walked. Should he chance it with the army coming to carry a gun on him? Light skirted around a large pool of blood, he didn't stay to play Name The Stain. He decided a gun might be A Good Idea.

First a computer. He wanted to go through the news reports of the days before the Outbreak and find any connection to what was happening now. He began to duck into rooms as he passed by them. Most were dead or hysteric. He walked away without searching if they moved within a minute of him seeing them. When he found an old person he didn't bother looking around. They wouldn't bother with a computer. He got to the second floor before he finally hit a teenagers room. Light entered the room silently.

The white curtains around the bed were pulled closed, the light shining through the window illuminated them and made the figure laying on the bed a dark, cancerous being. The closet yielded no results. Only jeans and long sleeved tee shirts. He considered taking one and putting it in the bag he would later find but decided against it. It felt wrong. Light walked around the white curtain like it was a wall not to be breached instead of a simple piece of fabric. There was a backpack at the end of the bed. It was red from what could be seen underneath band stamps and writing. With a last look at the black smudge Light reached out for the bag.

The was no fanfare as he rifled through the bag, no chorus of growls coming out of the closet or down the hallway. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise again, but wrote it off to the creepy atmosphere. There was a computer shoved into a pocket inside of the main bag. He pulled it out slightly. It was a HP Pavilion, of fairly recent edition. Light shoved it back in the bag. There wasn't anything else of importance in the bag. Only a notebook and a camera. He stood up with the bag slung over one shoulder.

The curtain was flung open. Light ducked out of instinct. A shot rang out. He peered up over the foot board. The black sludge was really a wide-eyed teen holding a gun. "Are you infected?" The voice was terrified, almost on the verge of a breakdown.

Light shook his head.

"I don't believe you. Stand up."

Light stood up. Held his hands up on either side of his head. "I'm not infected." He said this calmly, like he was in charge of the conversation, not a terminally ill boy with a gun.

"What's you name?" The boy asked. The gun in his hand trembled.

"Light." Simple and to the point. The boy would probably drop the gun from exhaustion. He was very pale.

"Good bye Light." The gun didn't waver. He put it beneath his own chin and pulled the trigger.

Light didn't know how long he stood there staring at the red splash on the wall. But he decided in his temporary insanity that the splash had a very appeasing shape almost abstract. It was coiled at the bottom in a small spiral and at the top it burst out like spikes. Light remembered the camera. He pulled it out. It was a cheap thing. One of those manual winders that you bought at a hundred-yen store for vacations. Light knelt down and angled the camera so he could see the gun clutched in the boys limp hand andjust make out a part of the Splash.

It was morbid, yes. But he felt like he had to do it. The boy gave him a gun after all. Light shoved the camera back in the bag and pulled the gun from his hand. That went in the bag too. Light remained kneeling and pulled the boys charts off of the hook.

He couldn't find any mention of bite marks or assault in his file. So he looked under diagnosis. There were the seven letters that became more feared than the TB from earlier generations: HIV/AIDS. He looked back up at the splash. "A merciful death."

(PAUSE)

Light finally left the room. He had a computer, with the charge cord, and a backpack. He pulled the gun back out of the bag and held it in his hand. It was heavy, more so than he would have imagined. Light shoved the gun under his belt. He found the nearest stairwell and ran down it. He didn't trust the elevators. Not when the power might go off at any time. The cafeteria was in the sub basement so when he got to the first floor he had to locate another set of stairs and take that down.

Compared to the upper levels with their flickering lights and yelling captives the cafeteria seemed like heaven. Very bright and very quiet. Light walked here slowly. He wasn't going to try the vending machines. He had no money and the plastic that covered the front was very durable. So he'd have to check the kitchen. He pushed open the white double doors with his shoulder and peered in. The kitchen was in a state of chaos. Food was thrown on the floor with pots and pans. There were some smudges on the walls that could either be blood or sauce.

Light found the freezer and made a bee-line to it. He pulled the door but it was locked. He reached up and found the lock, and unlatched it. Cold air wafted out and it sent a chill through his whole body. He searched through the boxes on the floor and container of pre-made peanut butter and jelly. That went in the bag too.

There was a moan outside the freezer door. Light peered out, there was someone walking between the stoves. She clutched her neck. He couldn't tell whether she was infected or not. He pulled the gun out of his pants. The noise attracted her. She caught sight of his red hair through the little frosted window.

"H-hey!" She shuffled closer than stopped. She seemed shocked at what he was doing but Light thought it really wasn't all that shocking. It was survival of the fittest after all. He had his gun aimed at her. If there was a laser sight on the gun, there would be a little red dot on the skin between her brows.

"I- I need your help." She clutched her neck so tight, Light thought she was trying to kill herself.

"Where you bitten?" It was said with a frostiness that rivaled that of the freezer.

"...yes." The woman seemed so sad. She took her hands away from her neck. There was so much blood that Light couldn't see the wound well enough to tell if she was lying.

"A merciful death." And he pulled the trigger.


	8. The Conversation

Chapter 6a: Light Yagami- Day 4 (The Conversation)

The imaginary red dot traveled up across Sayus face but it hovered the most between her eyebrows. Do I do it? Do I pull the trigger? What about A Merciful Death. I'll be a contradiction if I don't do it. But what about the Woman? The Big Brother Light asked, She wasn't fully Infected. Just Sick. Lights hand on the gun didn't waver. But She's your SISTER!

The gun was lowered. Only slightly. Why did you run after her when you already knew that she was Sick? Light didn't have a reply. Because she's your Sister! You want to protect her! Shooting her is the exact opposite of protecting! "What about the army." Light murmured to himself. "They're coming. They'll notice she's different. They'll kill her." The Realist laughed. Then it doesn't really matter then, does it? She'll die either way. Just leave her here. You can find a Wi-Fi connection for the computer somewhere else. Leave.

The Big Brother Light was shocked at himself. But you can't do that. You can't leave her alone-- But Light was already pulling out some of the packaged sandwiches out of his bag. He laid them next to Sayus sleeping form. Light never looked for the water but he bet she could find some if she looked hard enough. "Goodbye Sayu." She didn't even so much as twitch in her deep sleep.

He made it to the second floor before threw up. It was in the middle of the hallway, the bucket was just at the end of the hall but he was so TIRED, that he didn't really Feel Like It. Light wiped his mouth grimly and continued to the first floor. He opened the door to the stairwell-- And stepped back quickly, leaned his full weight against the door. A Sick One was on the staircase. It saw Light and stared attacking the doorway with its fists. Light could easily hold the door closed but once he let go to make a run for the next stair door it would be able to push open the door and give chase. Light depressed the bar across the door and shoved the door open with violent force. It hit the Sick One and it lost its balance. Light didn't watch its spectacular tumble down the stairs and ran past it. He made it to the lobby, dodging the turned Sick and survivors that haunted the hallways. A voice stopped him as he pushed open the front doors and stood in the sunlight with the expression of someone who had been living underground for years and was now only just experiencing light.

"Hey!" It was a man running towards him. They rest of his group, from those he could see, were hanging back in the shadow of the neighboring building. "Are there any Doctors left?"

Light shook his head. "They all ran." He wondered what he looked like to this man. Clothes covered with blood and rips, he was positive there was some blood on his face. He tried to wipe some of it off but it was already dried to his face.

The man swore. "Well... good luck."

Light nodded. "Thanks you too." They stood in an awkward companionship for a few more moments but then the man walked slowly back to his group. Then he stopped.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" He didn't wait for Lights reply. "What's your name?"

"Light." Last names didn't seem so important anymore. "Yours?"

"Nyugen." Nyugen frowned like he was having some internal battle with a demon he could only hear. It reminded Light of The Big Brother and The Realist. Nyugen walked quickly back to Light with a fearful glance over his shoulder at those waiting in the shadows. "Can you tell me..." He looked back at the group again. "Is it easier to travel alone?"

Light felt his throat close in either shock or guilt. What were the chances that he would be asked this so soon after-- SO SOON AFTER YOU ABANDONED HER, YOU BASTARD-- Light shrugged. "It depends on what type of person you are." Nyugen nodded and Light was certain that maybe tonight, or even tomorrow, he would abandon his group. He waited for Nyugen to leave, to nod and look with guilty eyes at his group when they asked him what they had talked about.

But Nyugen seemed in need of absolution. "There was this girl... I told her I was going out to go find some food. People can't live on cakes you know." He laughed nervously and looked at Light. Light nodded. "And well, I didn't go looking for food. I just ran. It was cowardly of me I know, leaving a girl alone at a time like this but... I couldn't deal with having responsibility for someone I only worked the day shift with. I hardly knew her outside of work."

Light nodded towards the group in the shadows. "Then why are they with you."

"I don't want to be alone." Nyugen seemed pleased that he could lift off all of his sorrows by talking to one blood soaked teen who was probably younger than himself. "I'd better go. Bye." Light didn't reply.

The Big Brother Light came at him with full force. Are you regretting something now Light? Do you realize that you're going to end up like him. Picking up groups of people, maybe only girls who look shockingly just like your sister, you stay with them for a little while, gain their trust, THEN YOU LEAVE. Just like that. You leave them alone to die or be killed. You FUCKING bastard. The Big Brother Light lost some of his steam as Light laughed under his breath. What are you laughing about?

Light smiled and started walking. He needed to find somewhere safe with a Wi-Fi connection. Probably any coffee shop on this whole block had it. "You seem to think I need companionship to get through this. I don't. I'm a big boy know, I can walk across the street without having to hold my mother's hand. I can take care of myself." The Big Brother Light was the Light That Was Real before His Father Gave Him The Talk.

Before he told him what he could do-- What he could be. Then he prepared himself for What He Could Be, getting good grades, ignoring those he thought his father wouldn't approve of when they asked if they could be Friends. Light realized he was breathing raggedly, almost panting. He stopped walking and stood under a florist shop awning. He took deep breaths. Stop thinking about it, The Realist urged. There was a reason you never mentioned it to anyone.

Light nodded. He had to get moving. The afternoon was waning and he didn't want to be outside when they came out. Light wondered how he came to that realization too. The Sick Ones only coming out at night. Maybe his subconscious figured it out for him, or maybe age old instincts from when Man first stepped out of the primordial mud.

He didn't know. All he knew was that between noon and twilight he was safe.

A/N: Pretty short yes, but it shows A Merciful Death will have repercussions. Hell calls Hell.


	9. The Meeting

Chapter 7: L Lawliet- Day 4 (The Meeting)

Lawliet huddled himself behind the counter, he held a wad of napkins to the wound on the side of his head. He hadn't cleaned it out so as to get a good look at the wound but Lawliet predicted that the wound was caused by him ALMOST BEING SHOT IN THE FUCKING HEAD. Lawliet blinked at the violence of his inner monologue. He almost never swore. He thought it made him sound less serious. Lawliet pulled the napkin away from his head and winced when it pulled his knotted hair. He crumpled the napkins and tossed them in a corner.

Where should he go? He doubted that a bakery had the proper items in the first aid kit to heal his wound. There was always the possibility of the hospital, but no, if this was indeed a viral weapon, which it was looking like with increasing clarity, the hospital would be filled with the Infected. Lawliet got up and walked to the door inn an odd half-crouch. If he was thinking correctly, which he most certainly was, he always did, there was a corner store a few doors down that he could find supplies at.

Lawliet opened the door quietly, he pressed his back to the store front and crab walked to his destination. There were a few moments where he paused and had to listen closely. Was that growling or the air traveling though the grating beneath his feet. The silence of the city, punctuated by the pop of guns and roar of explosions, made him wary. There was so many ways he could mess up, so many variables.

But he made it to the shop without falling through the grate or being ambushed by the Infected. Lawliet poked the door, it swung inward slightly and shifted shut. He looked behind him like he was committing some atrocious crime instead of simply trying to survive. The isles were tipped over and a general chaos of things reigned the small shop. Lawliet walked through quickly, grabbing a book bag on display near the front. Old habits die hard as he made a bee-line for the candy isle.

When he had enough candy to even give a hardened marine diabetes, he began to look for lesser essentials. Like water. That quickly joined his growing pile and-- His large dark eyes focused on the window. Was that really Light that had just walked past? He shuffled towards the window slowly. Yep, there was Light, doing a breathing exercise next to a flower shop. "Light." he hissed.

Light became rigid, and kept his eyes closed. Lawliet predicted he was repeating the children's mantra of: I can't see you, you're not there. "Light." he hissed again, louder. Light turned and, was that relief on his face?

"Ryuuzaki..." He faltered, unsure of what to say. "...It's nice to see that you're alive."

Lawliet nodded. "It's nice to see you too." He wanted to talk to Light about the Infected, see what his hypothesis where. But that would be rude, so soon after he found him again. Lawliet held open the shop door instead. "Care to come in?"

(PAUSE)

Light was washing the blood off his face in the employee bathroom while Lawliet walked the isles idly. There was an unopened box cluttering his chosen path. He kicked it and was surprised when he heard something give fall with a heavy clunk. It was a box cutter, left to rust on top of the box. Lawliet grabbed in and put it in his pocket. "It's mine now." He looked at the stuffed animals that looked at him with button black eyes. "Do any of you object?"

"Ryuuzaki?"

"Coming!" Lawliet shuffled back to the check out counter. Light was leaning against it, staring pensively out the window. He had changed and Lawliet frowned. He couldn't remember what Light had been wearing before, which was odd seeing as he usually took every small decision of a person and totaled it towards some larger goal. That got Lawliet thinking. Would Light still be considered KIRA after what he had gone through. He would have imagined KIRA to stay indoors and stick up on food and supplies, not to tough the streets of an extremely votile Tokyo.

"I have some food." Light said and pulled his bag up onto the counter. "Are you hungry." Lawliet came over on the pretense of hunger, when he really wanted to see what he had in his bag. A gun would mean he was KIRA. No gun or any type of weapons would mean he wasn't KIRA, and an idiot. Light pulled peanut butter and jelly out of the bag and handed one to Lawliet, he thanked him but was secretly disappointed.

Lawliet couldn't see any type of weapon in his bag. He pointed to what he could see, a notebook. "What's that?" He asked, through a mouth full of PB&J.

Light shrugged. "A notebook. It came in the bag." Light felt a chill run down his back. For a moment he had thought that the black notebook was his Death Note. It was a easy mistake. They were both black and he had been prone to feelings of paranoia whenever he didn't have anything to keep him occupied. He took the bottle of water Lawliet offered him and took a long gulp.

"Can I look at it?"

Light nodded. What could it hurt. As Lawliet hopped up on the counter and assumed his usual position Light felt the chill run slither down his back again. It couldn't be that he was cold. He had a sweatshirt on to hide the gun, he'd found it in the bathroom. Maybe the door didn't close all the way-- "Shit." Lawliet looked up from his book.

An Infected was in the doorway. It growled and Light and Lawliet both wondered if the Infected were territorial. The Sick One swiped at them but he was across the room, he pushed himself off the door with extreme effort and walked closer. Lawliet hopped off the counter and pulled his roller from his make shift belt. There was a click and Light held his gun steadily with both hands. The safety was off.

"So you do have a gun." Lawliet murmured to him out of the side of his mouth.

"I'm surprised you don't." Light countered. "But of course, you have to use something that they make cookies with."

Lawliet brought his eyes off the Man. "Are you making fun of me?"

Light smirked. "No, of course not." Lawliet focused his attention back on the task at hand. "Just cookies."

Lawliet hit him on the head with the roller. "Don't make fun of cookies!"

The Infected gave a garbled moan, blood spewed forth from his mouth and he fell to the ground. After a violent shudder he died.

Lawliet pulled and ugly doll off the counter and flung it at the Man. It bounced off his shoulder, the Man didn't move. "I think he's dead." Light opened his mouth to give his opinion but Lawliet cut him off. "I wonder why."

Light shrugged and he seemed to be holding in laughter. "Maybe he doesn't like cookies either."

"Light I fail to see how the best accomplishment of man can be used to justify a death. I can't." He looked at Light with absolute seriousness in his eyes. "Your thought processes must be off. Are you okay? Do you need to lie down?"

"You've ruined it Ryuuzaki." Light shook his head. "My first attempt of humor since this began, wasted."

"If that's your attempt of humor than you better keep your day job, _Light-kun. _Now help me turn him over. We need to find some sheets or plastic to keep the blood off the floor. Do you happen to have any knowledge of post-postmortem examination? I've only been witness to a few of them my self, but never actually performed one."

"No, I don't" Light paused. "Wait! Are you actually serious about performing an autopsy?" Lawliet nodded. "In a hundred yen store?"

Lawliet exhaled roughly. "Light, just go get the trash bags."

A/N: I'm glad I skipped a day of posting in order to come up with this. I felt really frustrated with this story yesterday and the lack of input may have had something to do with it. (Wink-wink nudge-nudge)


	10. The Autopsy

Chapter 8- L Lawliet and Light Yagami- Day 5 (The Autopsy)

It had taken them most of the remaining light of the day to spread out the plastic. They used plastic containers to hold up the body, turning them over and placing the body on top of it.

"We're still going to get blood everywhere." Light said, laying out more plastic. "We need something bigger, like a tub."

"I don't think employees have the privilege of their own jacuzzi during brakes." Lawliet sighed and stopped stuffing towels under the corpses head. "Go in the back and see what they have." Light nodded and went through the EMPLOYEES ONLY door behind the counter. Lawliet frowned at his back as he left and pulled the box cutter out of his pocket. He would just have to do it by himself.

Lawliet held the box cutter just beneath the left clavicle and paused. He shifted position and began to cut. Blood slithered out of the dead body slowly, it had been dead for a few hours and blood had already begun to settle to the lowest part of the body. The back. He stopped cutting once he reached the uppermost portion of the sternum and made a V back to the right clavicle. Lawliet continued to cut down from the point of the V to the plane of skin just above his navel. He let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding and shook some blood off his yellow gloves. He usually called them "Mom Gloves" but that seemed strangely inappropriate now. As Lawliet grabbed one side of the V and began to cut the stubborn skin that held together he had to wonder how Light was doing.

(PAUSE)

Light kicked aside more empty boxes. The EMPLOYEES ONLY room was full of tall shelves that reached for the ceiling. So far he hadn't seen anything that vaguely resembled a tub, ... or a jacuzzi. He sighed and traveled farther into the labyrinth of shelves. Light partly wished that Lawliet would just do the autopsy without him. It wasn't as if he could gleam much from the body anyways. It wasn't as if he could do a tox-screen or see what he had eaten before he was Infected.

Though he supposed it was better than doing nothing.

His next kick made an odd metallic noise. Light recovered the box he had abused and ripped it open. They were metal ice buckets of an oval shape, though they were small they were exceptionally deep. Light picked up the whole box to bring to Lawliet. He looked around the dim room, now to only find his way out.

(PAUSE)

Lawliet wiped his face and ignored the streak out red he transferred there. He also had on a painters mask that made his face uncomfortable and hot. Lawliet bent over the body until his nose was almost touching internal organs. He refrained from making a mental description of the inside of the body. It was slippery and gooey. Lawliet felt the bile rise in the back of his throat. Ew. The important thing was that he couldn't see any abnormalities on the organs. He even pulled out the intestines to check.

Lawliet turned as he heard Light throw up. He gave the bucket Light was using a brief look. "Oh, good. You found puke buckets. Leave them over there and help me shove these," he gestured to the intestine in his hands. "back inside him, it would be appreciated."

Light vomited again in reply.

Lawliet shrugged. Oh well. After a few moments of examination he asked Light : "Go get that notebook you brought with you."

Light got it and held it out to Lawliet, turning his eyes away from the scene.

"I can't hold it, you have to read through it for me."

Light sighed and began to flip through the book. "What am I looking for?"

"A Saturday." Lawliet replied and poked a lung.

He flipped through the pages until he found one.

_"Eric-kun came back today. I was glad to see him but he was feeling grumpy. I suppose I should mention he was covered in blood but I've gotten so used to it over the years. He cleaned up in my bathroom and took some of my Tylenol. I hope he didn't take it all because I haven't been feeling good either. I've been having trouble breathing. I hope I'm not getting bronchitis again. What a bitch that would be._

_Eric-kun laid down with me but before anything happened he got back up again. __Said his head hurt really bad. I told him to lie back down and I would call a doctor. He __got a real scared look in his eyes and said No, it would be okay. Then he left. Whatever, __I have stuff to do anyways."_

Light stopped reading. "Eric, that's American."

Lawliet nodded. "I'm guessing that it refers to Eric Boulder the American Conman. Look through and see if you can find his name."

Light was frowning. That teen had been Eric's lover. He didn't find it hard to believe but the fact that everything was fitting together, so perfectly. It was odd and slightly frightening. "I found a picture." It was taken from above, while the teen was kneeling and Eric was lying down. It wasn't erotic or anything of that nature, just something that a couple might take on a fun day. He got up off the floor and reached for his bag, flinging PB&J this way and that. Light pulled out his computer and plugged it in, before sitting back down with it.

"Looking for reports on Boulder?" Lawliet asked him.

"Yeah."

Lawliet didn't seem to be listening but was instead focused on an odd crescent shaped mark he had found on the dead mans shoulder. The blood had traveled, as mentioned before, so it was less noticeable.

Light found a report on a local news channel.

_"Increasing reports of acts of extreme violence in Tokyo have had residents worried. They are mainly focused on the elderly but there have been reports of others attacked. The attacks started early yesterday morning when Model Amane Misa was brutally attacked in the hotel she was staying at. Reports of these attacks are still flooding in. The Police are baffled as to what the cause may be but it has been thought that there may be a Yakuza link."_

_"In related news Boulder Eric an American Conman may be the perpetrator of an attack against Amane Misa. The Police are conducting an in depth investigation and all are on alert for this madman." _

"They think he's the one that killed the model--"

"Come here and see this." Lawliet motioned for him eagerly. "You have to see this." Light grabbed a new puke bucket, in lime green, and crawled over to him. He had lifted the skin back so Light could see the veins and muscle beneath. "See those little dents? They go right through the skin and into the main arteries. So whatever is causing this is of saliva or blood origin."

"Thanks for the tip boys, now if you'll come with us." The figure blended into the darkness outside the door, like a creature of the night. Light and Lawliet both decided that this man wouldn't be good news for them.

A/N: Okay, I can probably finish this in one or two more chapters, minimal action. OR: I can finish this in about... five or six and have a rather shocking thing occur. Light admits to being KIRA. I could easily do both. What do YOU want?


	11. The Kempeitai

Chapter 9: Light Yagami and L Lawliet- Day 5 (The Kempeitai)

Light was very angry. It was that quiet sort of anger that you could scream about

for eons inside your head and yet when someone asked you about it your speaking skills turned to mush.

It didn't help that a military grunt was trying to ask them questions. "Are you injured?" No reply from Light or Lawliet. "Do you know this man?" He held up a picture of the man they had played mad doctor with. Post-autopsy. No reply again. "Do you know any information regarding Boulder Eric?" They just wanted them to start talking. Once the vocal floodgates opened, all would be swept away.

Maybe that was why Light and Lawliet refused to talk. They didn't want to talk about what they had gone through. It made it sound less important.

The Man didn't care about what they wanted. "I am Taisa Sanyo of the Kempeitai. You know what that is don't you?" Neither man replied. "It's the Japanese Secret Service. You are under imperial law to tell us what you know." He pulled his calvary sabre out of it's sheath with unexpected flourish. The Colonel looked them down the flat of the blade. "If you do not tell us what you know you will be tried for treason."

There was a deep pause as Light looked at Lawliet out of the corner of his eye. For some reason, after almost being killed on a regular basis, treason didn't seem so important. It was Light who kept silent, but Lawliet spoke. "What do you want to know?"

Sanyo smirked. He thought he won. "What did you find when you cut him up?"

Lawliet shrugged. "Internal organs, blood. The same thing I would expect to find in you, except for maybe one certain organ--" He was pistol whipped before he realized it.

"Hey!" Light glared at the Colonel as a lower level officer aimed his gun at him. Light wondered if he fired fast enough could he hit the Colonel, the bastard that pistol whipped Lawliet and the grunt that was guarding the doorway. Probably not, seeing as he was sitting on the floor and neither of his targets had their hands ties like he did.

Lawliet wiped his burning cheek on his shoulder. "It's alright Light-kun. It's no ones fault that Mr. Sanyo has no sense of humor."

"Shut up!" Sanyos face was red and he was sweating. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. It was emblazoned with the same symbol as was under his jacket lapel. A chrysanthemum. "If they won't cooperate we have no need for them." The handkerchief was back in his pocket but the chrysanthemum still showed. "Tomorrow, they'll face the firing squad." And both were ushered out in the extreme silence that was fear, shock and a touch of morbid humor. They were put in the EMPLOYEES ONLY room of the shop that was their short lived sanctuary. Light immediately started laughing.

Lawliet raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's so funny Light-kun?"

That only made Light laugh harder. "Isn't it ironic? We spent what... a week? Surviving on our own and when help does come, they want to kill us!" He mellowed out fairly quickly. "This is so fucking messed up. Everything has gone to hell."

Lawliet nodded. There was another silence, and despite the circumstances, it seemed somewhat... hopeful. "I have an idea Light-kun."

Light sighed. "What is it?"

"When we get out of this, which we will, because we're genius' and Sanyo is an idiot. We should hack a satellite."

Light looked at Lawliet with wide eyes and it wasn't first time that Lawliet noticed how tired he looked. "What?"

"We hack a satellite, or just a radio station and with it we broadcast all over Tokyo. We tell people what to do to survive. What roads to travel by. Basic survival." Lawliet nodded to himself. "That's what we do."

Light looked at him with disbelief but nodded none the less. "That a very brilliant and shiny idea, my friend," He didn't notice Lawliet look up sharply at being called friend. "But shouldn't we first think about getting out of here?" Light twisted around to look behind them. From his seat on the floor he could just make out the back door at the opposite end of the room.

Lawliet followed his gaze. "It's a good thing they didn't search us." With minor bending and cursing he was able to get the box cutter out of his pocket. He quickly freed himself of the rope they tied him with, odd they didn't use handcuffs. And untied Light as well. Who immediately pulled out his gun. They both crept to the back door and peeked out the door, which was unlocked.

"Well that might put a damper on things." Lawliet said.

"Ryuuzaki, when would an eight foot high wall NOT put a damper on things."

A/N: Okay, I decided to go for the longer ending (for Kyuubikitsune). But I decided to give you all some information on the Japanese Secret Service guys (Kempeitai) that showed up. The News said they would send in regular Army men. They lied. Sanyo, the Taisa (colonel) is a right bastard. I will kill him off given the opportunity. The chrysanthemum is the symbol of the Kempeitai and has some imperial origin because they are also called the Imperial Army/Navy. Only the higher ranking officers havesabre's which is why Lawliet didn't get shanked. Okay? Good. Any other questions just ask.


	12. The Sprint

Chapter: 10- L Lawliet and Light Yagami- Day 6 (A Sprint)

The gloom of light didn't prevent them from seeing the barricade. The lights that the Kempeitai set up only made it look more formidable. Though, despite it's height, it was still only a chain link fence. There wasn't even barbed wire at the top. Lower class solders ran the length of the fence, attaching the separate pieces together with metal stakes.

Light tapped the door with impatient fingers. "We can follow the fence down the street, try to catch up with where they haven't set it all up yet." He looked at Lawliet and the shadows of the night masked half his face. "It's worth a try."

Lawliet looked back at him and wondered if this was the real Light, not the lie spewing carbon copy of the father he had met in the coffee shop. Or was this another mask? He'd have to see. "I don't think that'll be necessary Light-kun." He pointed out into the gloom, on the other side of the fence, where flashing could be seen as something walked closer. "They won't appreciate being cut off from there food source."

"Holy hell." There were scores of the infected. As the solders finally noticed them, there were random bursts of gun fire. But the Infected didn't turn tail and run, they continued to slowly advance on the barricade. Bullets rang off the fence and birthed sparks like swarms of angry fireflies. Some Infected fell, but as they grabbed onto the fence and started to climb, all knew there were too many.

Lawliet grabbed Light by the hand and they ran out the door. Behind most of the regiment, but they still had to dodge bullets. "We need to find a radio station base. Do you know where there's one near by?" He asked Light.

Light shook his head as they caught their breath behind an overturned car. "Not off the top of my head." An Infected climbed over the car from the other side and stared them down like a predator. Which it was. They didn't fight, they only ran. Between cars, over dead bodies, through the smoke of burning buildings like phantoms.

Lawliet was the first to stop. He was covered in soot and his eyes stood out like white marbles. "I think we're far enough." They didn't really know where they were. Their flight from the fence had been frantic, spurred on by age old instincts and adrenaline.

Light leaned against the nearest wall and closed his eyes. "Did you see?"

Lawliet frowned. "See what?"

"The Sick-- Infected, whatever... they actually EAT people. I had thought that they just wanted to kill us, not use us as food." It was a disturbing discovery. What if he had stayed with Sayu? Would she had finally given into temptation to... Light stopped that thought there. It wasn't healthy.

"Light-kun." It was a small gesture, a hand on the shoulder with a faint squeeze. But it was enough. Light had no real human contact for almost a week. Humans were social creatures by nature, they took comfort in each other. The Infected took comfort in food and territory. Light hugged Lawliet, and Lawliet stiffened but allowed it. "... You're KIRA."

Light let go like he had been burned. The soot was smudged off one side of his face, probably where he had laid his head on Lawliets shoulder. "What?!"

Lawliet grinned and it made him look terrifying. His teeth were too bright compared to the rest of his face. "We need to get people to listen to us. When we get our radio station. I'll call myself L and you call yourself KIRA. It only makes sense."

"So people will listen to a murderer?!" Was that what he really thought of himself-- KIRA, now? No, KIRA seemed like a far off memory, so far away that the newest experience would push it out of his mind completely. His righteous judgment... didn't seem so important anymore.

"People believe that KIRA is a God. Of course they will." Lawliet took his hand again. "Come on, I know where we are now. My hotels just down the street."

"Past the fence?"

"Past the fence."

It wasn't that much of an ordeal, most of the Kempeitai had simply ran, been killed, or went to help at Ground Zero as Light had began to call the stretch of street behind the hundred yen store. They pulled out the two bottom spikes and pushed the sections of fence as far apart as they could. Then they slipped through. Walking wasn't the problem. Seeing was. The soot and ash that floated in the air from the fires all over Tokyo-- Japan now probably, had lowered visibility. (But it was night, who cared?) But the fires had illuminated the blood on the streets, the walls, the dismembered body parts, that Light and Lawliet would have walked past without noticing.

The hotel could easily be described with all those adjectives that hotels are usually described with. Grandiose, majestic, elegant-- But Light and Lawliet didn't care about those things. All they wanted was to get inside. Problem. The doors had been barricaded shut from the inside.

Lawliet pressed his face against the window to look inside. "We can probably get in through the back door."

"Move!" Light hurled the trashcan. It struck the window and sailed through. Glass fell to the sidewalk and was crushed under Lights stubborn feet. He jumped through the new entrance. "Coming?"

Lawliet sighed. "Always dramatic Light-kun."

"What's the room number?"

"Zero thirteen."

Light frowned in thought. "How can there be a ZERO thirteen?"

"There can be when the room's in the basement." He walked off in the general direction of the stairs and missed how pale Light turned. Light had had more than enough of basements.

"Are you sure?" Lawliet didn't reply and Light had to chase after him or lose him. The Big Brother Light had to have the last word. I thought you said you weren't a social creature.


	13. Zero Thirteen

Chapter 11: L Lawliet and Light Yagami- Day 7 (Zero Thirteen)

There was only one circular light set into the ceiling of the elevator. Light wondered if it was similar with the old American solitary cells in jail. A small room, with an even smaller window, only one, set into the ceiling. They called it The Eye of God. Light surely felt like he was being scrutinized. He looked to the side. Or maybe that was only Lawliet.

"Is there something wrong with my choice of rooming Light?" Lawliet asked him.

Light shook his head. "I just don't like being underground." LIAR.

Lawliet nodded as if this had been predicted. "I see. Perhaps it's that your fear of being underground represents your fear of death. It's alright Light-kun. Everything's eventual."

Light stared into the dark mental void of secrets and lies. "Yeah, maybe that's it." The elevator stopped and the lights flickered ominously. The door slid open silently. "So..." Light tried to find something to fill the silence. "Is yours the only room down here?"

"Yes, you don't have to worry about meeting finding any other people." Lawliet stared at him and Light felt like he was under a microscope. Dissected and on display, ready for examination. "That's what you were worried about isn't it?" All Light could do was nod. "I noticed that you didn't mention traveling with anyone. Pardon me for saying," He didn't really need to ask for pardons he would have said it anyways. "Did Sayu not make it?"

Light shook his head and he felt dizzy, like he had sat on one of those Kid-Spinners at a playground and let people push him as hard as they could. "No, she ran off. Probably to join one of those packs. Or something."

Lawliet stared at him and he had the Feeling again. Then he nodded. "Yeah. Probably." He pulled a key out of his pocket and inserted it into the lock of the door they had been standing in front of for the last ten minutes. He immediately stalked over to a group of computers and sat down.

Light stood awkwardly in the doorway before closing the door. "Do you need help with anything?"

Lawliet didn't bother to turn around, just shook his head. "No, go take a nap or something, you look like you need sleep." Then he pulled a packet of M&Ms out of his makeshift belt and began munching. Light sighed and flopped bonelessly on the ugly yellow couch. It was a line-in-the-middle-of-the-road yellow with a touch of school bus yellow.

Very ugly. Light yawned and didn't bother to cover his mouth. Very, very ugly. Then he was asleep.

The dream was abstract and had no basic plot line. But there were colors. Red, a lot of red, so much that it spill out of the little mental screen he was it on and came to where he was sitting. Where was he sitting? A movie theater maybe? And it would slowly pool around his legs. It was warm, almost like a hot tub. But wait-- The floor was whit tile. Movie theaters didn't have tile. ... So maybe he was in a house. And the screen? Some people have TVs in their kitchens. But the blood rose mid-shin. Most people didn't have obscenely uncomfortable plastic chairs in their kitchens. So where was he?

In the real world Light frowned, sweat beaded on his brow. He suddenly knew where he was. He was in a HOSPITAL. The blood suddenly poured into the so clean, so white room. It was up to his waist his shoulders, his chin. Light took a deep breath. But he couldn't close his eyes. He kept them open as the world turned into varying shades of red. When had the dream changed into this? Something moved he could see it out of the corner of his eye. Light turned his head, but he was too slow, the blood slowed him down. Two hands grabbed his throat. His vision swam then cleared. Sayu, she was choking him. Her mouth didn't move but he could hear her.

"You left me Big Brother, you left me and you let me die." It was in a monotone but it still scared him. Lights vision was tunneling. There were only pinpricks of light and he felt like his lungs were going to explode.

_"Light-kun! Light-kun, wake up!" _Someone was shaking him. Light opened his eyes. There was no red, only Lawliet and he was smiling. "I hacked the emergency radio station. Get up."

Light got up slowly and Lawliet had to pull him off the couch, forcibly seating him in the roll-y chair. Lawliet put his own headset on and Light copied him, adjusting the microphone so it was closer to his mouth. Lawliet reached out for the ON switch--

"Wait." Light stopped him. "What do we say? 'Hi this is L and KIRA and we're here to help. Rule number one: Don't be stupid. Rule number two: Don't be STUPID'?" Light rubbed his eyes. He still felt off kilter from his dream. "What if they don't believe us?"

Lawliet sighed and patted Light on the shoulder. It was all very dramatic. "They're worrying about dieing. We could say we're the Grand Poobas and they won't give a damn. Besides, YOU are the one who's going to have to do the most explaining. About turning KIRA turning over a new leaf and how he's stopping killing FBI agents who get too close."

"L, shut up and press the damn button." The button was pushed. "This is KIRA coming to you from Tokyo headquarters. I'm going to be your guide to surviving today and try to help you dumb fucks not get killed."

Lawliet fiddled with his microphone. "Pessimistic aren't we KIRA-san? I am L. Myself and KIRA have come to an agreement. It is as such: Protecting the lives of all citizens of Tokyo and the surrounding areas is more important than playing out cat and mouse game. We will show you how to survive. You only have to apply it."

"And resist the urge to do the stupid things you always do."

"You always have to have the last word, don't you?"

Light gave him a cheeky grin and leaned back in his chair, planting his feet on the desk. "Firstly what you should all know. The Infected do not come out USUALLY, I'm not saying it happens all the time, between noon and twilight."

Lawliet added his own comment. "Don't get angry at us if you walk out at this appointed time frame and get attacked. Oddities occur. Just take KIRA-kun for example."

Light whacked him across the head. "Don't you want them to take us seriously?"

"I'm just looking for some comic relief. No need to get testy."

(PAUSE)

Utada sighed as he woke up once again, during the middle of the night. He had noticed that was when the most Infected were out, so maybe that had to do with it. But no, he could see the hallway light on from underneath his door. He turned but his wife, Hikaru, wasn't there. Utada grabbed his revolver off the bedside table and opened the door. There was no one in the hallway.

He shuffled down the hallway in socks. They had covered the windows with plywood and furniture, but that didn't mean the Infected couldn't hear them. Utada found his family, wife and two daughters, sitting at the kitchen table listening to the radio.

Utada was angry. He didn't spend all this time protecting his family from what was out there just because they wanted to hear one of the songs by that one singer... the R-Y guy. What was his name? He was pretty sure the guy was gay but that didn't help. It wasn't like his last name backwards would spell I-M-A-G-A-Y or anything.

Not that there was anything wrong with that! Utada always wondered about his oldest, Mika, ever since he caught her checking out a girl in a really skimpy-- Wait! Getting off topic! "What are you doing?"

"Dad! You won't believe it!" The younger daughter said, Aiko, she was smiling for the first time since the outbreak had started. "L and KIRA! They joined forces!"

Utada turned to his wife. "What are they talking about?"

Hikaru shrugged. "That's just about the gist of it."

A/N: Probably only one more chapter.


	14. The Reason

Chapter 12: Various Persons- Various Dates (The Reason)

L and KIRA gave their advice to Tokyo and its more literate non infected inhabitants for another week. That's how long it was determined by the United States that they come and clean up the mess they made.

_General Cardinal smiled as the lab tech gave them the news. They both hurried to a plastic see-through box that housed three mice. The box had its own air tanks and water supply different than the building they were in. The water and air was the purest they could create. Both mice were dead. "Can you determine the exact cause of death?"_

_A tech, Vasquez, nodded. He pulled off the lid and grabbed a mouse. It was limp in his hand, like a toy with too little fluff. A scalpel was pressed to the base of the throat and the mouse was cut open in one clean motion. _

_The Generals mouth was in a grim line. What was the idiot thinking?! He wasn't even wearing gloves. _

_Vasquez held up the body. He pushed his finger into the mouses back and popped out all the miniature organs. "See, right there." He pointed t a ovalish lump with a star shaped whole in it. "The heart ruptured. POP!" Vasquez almost flung the mouse through the air. "It worked, we can cut up the other ones, just for show. But this one..." Vasquez grinned. "This one is the real thing." He wiped his mouth and got a smear of blood on his face._

_Cardinal mentally glared at the young tech. All the smart ones were insane. "Who __would you suggest for human testing, Vasquez?" _

_Vasquez frowned. "... What are you talking about? We created this to simulate heart attacks so we can find a medicine that can properly defend against them, no matter the diet or age. Testing it on a human after we know it works would be the exact opposite." Cardinal didn't look sorry. "And illegal." _

_Cardinal nodded slowly. "I see, my mistake." Without another word he left the lab. Cardinal waited until he found an appropriately abandoned hallway and bent a microphone out from under his ear. "It works."_

_(PAUSE)_

_Maria nodded to her team. They had preparing for this months in advance. "Tell me what happens." She urged the group._

_A dark haired woman, Alessa, nodded to her. "We lay a trap. Tell the Mouse that it can contact KIRA in a certain place at a certain time."_

_Another, Henry, quietly cut in. "We lie in wait until the Mouse admits in very clear __words, that he wants to kill. Then--"_

_"We grab that fucker and give him his present!" Walter shouted. He smiled at Henry but Henry looked away. _

_Maria sighed. "Don't refer to the mouse by 'him'. We don't know whether it's going to be a man or woman."_

_Henry frowned. "Why do we have to do this in Japan? Why can't we do it in the USA?" No one replied. "We are doing this so we can exterminate criminals, since KIRA hasn't been so active here lately..."_

_"That's what we're being fed," Walter shrugged. "But who knows? Maybe they're lying to us. Wouldn't be the first time."_

_Alessa nodded in agreement. "Henry and Walter are right."_

_Maria sighed. This wasn't a good sign towards their future missions. If they didn't believe in their employer... though she supposed it was better than if they asked this to the General. "If it makes you feel any better, the target is an American."_

_(PAUSE)_

_"Sir!" The General looked up from his desk. It was some officer, he could tell from his stripes. That was a shame. He hoped it would have been Vasquez. But no, Vasquez was dead, wasn't he? He had gotten some of the mouses blood in his mouth when he was swinging it around. Vasquez got The Disease. Vasquez had to be killed._

_"Sir, it's been decided. We're sending forces in to combat the Infected. They want you to lead us Sir."_

_The General shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that son. Would you mind leaving."_

_The officer nodded slowly and backed out the door. He was still in shock when he heard the gun go off._

_(PAUSE)_

_Walter looked across the seats at Henry and asked suddenly, "What if it had worked?" _

_Henry motioned for him to lower his voice. They were in a small town diner, it wouldn't be good if anyone heard they were involved with the government. Not so soon after The Scare. "What if the medicine worked?" Walter nodded. "If it hadn't reacted with the human, brain and caused lesions and all that other shit?" Walter nodded again. _"_We still would've been screwed."_

_Walter tilted his head to his side and shifted inside his blue windbreaker. "Why?"_

_"Karma."_

_"Hey Gran! We got another one!" All occupants of the diner turned to the front door. It was the only door that still had a window. All the others had been covered with wood or replaced with metal sheets. There was an Infected walking slowly up the sidewalk. The shouter pulled a shotgun from beneath the register and hopped over the counter._

_No one flinched when they heard the shot. They were too used to it._

(PAUSE)

"Light-kun?"

He had been standing on the roof of the apartment complex, watching the sunrise. It was odd, he had never watched it before, but when he was unable to due to the Infected... that was really when he had wanted to. "Yeah, Ryuuzaki?"

"Isn't this early for you?" Lawliet took a position next to him.

"I've been waking up earlier since the Americans came." His attention was diverted from the sun to a plume of fire that burst up from a sewer grate. "They must have found another flock."

"Why do you think this happened to us?"

"Society on a whole, or only you and me?"

"Both."

Light thought for a moment then shrugged. "Karma?"

A/N: That's it. Done.

_Come like shadows_


End file.
